Major League Cup setback: Manchester City crashed out by Newcastle

Newcastle United caused a major upset in the League Cup on Wednesday as they ousted Manchester City with a 1-0 victory, courtesy of Alexander Isak's second-half winner at St James' Park. 

In a contest that saw both teams field substantially changed lineups, the Premier League champions saw their quadruple dreams dashed.

Pep Guardiola, City's coach, made eight changes from their recent 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, and the absence of Erling Haaland on the field for the entire 90 minutes was palpable. 

Eddie Howe, Newcastle's manager, also rang in changes after their resounding 8-0 win against Sheffield United, but it was the introductions of Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes at halftime that turned the tide in Newcastle's favor.

The turning point came when Joelinton burst forward, creating an opening for Isak, who calmly slotted the ball into the net at the far post in the 53rd minute. Despite City's dominance in possession during the first half, they were unable to break through Newcastle's resilient defense.

In another League Cup fixture, Chelsea found some respite as Nicolas Jackson's goal secured a 1-0 win over Brighton. Jackson's clinical finish from Cole Palmer's pass in the 50th minute brought relief to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea had struggled with a return of just one win in their opening six Premier League matches under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Arsenal also secured a 1-0 victory at Brentford, with Reiss Nelson netting the decisive goal in the eighth minute. Aaron Ramsdale, who had been controversially left out of the starting lineup by Mikel Arteta, produced a brilliant save to deny Brentford's Yoane Wissa an equalizer.

Liverpool faced an early setback as they trailed Championship leaders Leicester City after just three minutes. However, Jurgen Klopp's side fought back to win 3-1. Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai's goals secured the victory after Kasey McAteer's opener for Leicester.

Elsewhere in League Cup action, Everton continued their positive momentum with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa, West Ham scraped through with a 1-0 victory against Lincoln, Fulham bested Norwich 2-1, and Bournemouth triumphed 2-0 over Stoke. In an all-Championship clash, Blackburn Rovers emerged as the highest scorers of the night, defeating Cardiff City 5-2.

Newcastle's impressive win against Manchester City marked their progression to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, despite making substantial changes to their lineup. 

However, a note of concern for Newcastle was Isak's departure from the game due to injury in the 60th minute. 

With a challenging Champions League match against Paris St-Germain on the horizon, Newcastle will hope for a swift recovery for their key striker following their League Cup triumph.